Iranian Parliamentarians headed by Iraj Nadimi Chairman of the Executive Council of Iran’s Inter-Parliamentary Group have headed to Quebec City to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union meetings which is scheduled for October 21st to October 26th 2012.

Sayeh Hassan an Iranian Canadian Lawyer and pro-democracy activist stated: “Recently the Canadian Government ended diplomatic relations with Iran by shutting down the Iranian Embassy and expelling Iranian diplomats in Canada. While this was a correct step towards isolating the Islamic Regime politically, it seems that the Canadian Government is back peddling by allowing Iranian Parliamentarians to travel to Canada to attend international political meetings.”

Ms. Hassan further expressed “Why would the Canadian Government allow Islamic Regime officials to travel to Canada freely, and attend international political meetings which will only serve to give a boost of legitimacy and credibility to the Iranian Government? It seems that the Canadian Government is contradicting itself by expelling the Iranian diplomats on one side and then allowing Iranian Parliamentarians who are the representatives of one of the worst dictatorship regimes in the world to travel to Canada for an international political meeting.”

Ms. Hassan stated “ I would urge the Canadian Government to immediately put a stop to the travel plans of these Iranian Parliamentarians and to expel them from Canada immediately!”

Today I attended the No War in Iran Protest at Queens park. The protest was organized by Toronto Coalition to Stop War and the only focus was saying no to war without condemning the Islamic Regime and its human rights violations against the Iranian people.

Many Iranian/Canadians who are very much against war in Iran felt isolated by this protest as it did not address the concerns of Iranians, mainly that while we do not want any type of military intervention in Iran we also do not support the Islamic Regime in Iran!

Tens of Iranian Canadians gathered at Queens Park today with slogans of No to Islamic Regime in Iran and no War in Iran, making sure that our voices were heard. What I found most interesting about the protest was that the organizers who had managed to gather hundreds of people during their last protest in March of this year were not very successful this year. The Crowd was relatively small and there were NO Islamic Regime flags present at the rally, something that was present during the last rally and was a great cause of concern for many Iranian Canadians.

Experience has shown that anyone that claims to be against war but does not take a position against the Islamic Regime is knowingly or unknowingly supporting the Regime. This was clear from the presence of numerous known regime lobbyists at today’s protest.

The former First Nations Chief Terrance Nelson is scheduled to travel to Iran on October 11th 2012 to meet with Islamic Regime officials despite the economic sanctions and the suspension of diplomatic ties between Canada and Iran.

Sayeh Hassan, an Iranian Canadian lawyer and pro-democracy activist stated “it is disgraceful to see Mr. Nelsons total disregard for the Iranian people whose rights are being systematically violated by the Regime on a daily basis! It is unfortunate to see that the former First Nation Chief has prioritized the perceived economic interest of his community ahead of human rights and democracy, values which is supposedly fighting for.”

Sayeh Hassan further stated “Experience has shown that the Islamic Regime will not step up and help anyone without expecting something in return. There is no telling what the Iranian Regime will expect from the First Nations Community in return for any cooperation or economic benefit. It is no secret that the Islamic Regime has been very active in spying on Iranian dissidents in Canada and has tried to infiltrate various Canadian entities. Who is to say the Regime would not require the First Nations Community to help the Regime with these goals?

Ms. Hassan concluded “I urge the First Nations community and all Canadians to condemn Mr. Nelsons trip to Iran which in part will serve to give the Regime a much needed credibility boost.

Today thousands of Iranians took to Tehran streets protesting against the regime following the latest economic crisis with the Iranian economy plummeting and the Iranian currency “rial” constantly loosing value and forcing Iranians into an even deeper line of poverty.

According to various news agencies The Tehran Bazaar on Ferdowsi street has been closed down by the merchants, as thousands of Iranians entered the bazaar in protest chanting slogans and encouraging the merchants to join them in their protests. Many banks in the area have also closed for the day.

In Baharestan Ave. thousands of Iranians are protesting and shouting anti regime slogans such as “ Khamenei be aware, we are not your goons, we are the Iranian people, and Khamenei have some shame, leave Syria alone and think about the Iranian people.”

Security forces are reported to be on the scene doing their best to put an end to the protests. There have been reports of tear gas being used on the protesters. This is the largest protest Tehran has seen in months, and hopefully the start of a wave of protests that will bring the Regime down!

About This Writer

Sayeh Hassan is a criminal defense lawyer with Walter Fox & Associates and an Iranian Pro-Democracy activist. She is the author of the shiro-khorshid-forever blog (www.shiro-khorshid-forever.blogspot.com) which focuses on the pro-democracy movement and Regime Change in Iran. Through her pro-democracy activities she stays in close contact with activists in Iran as well as retaining contacts with various human rights and pro-democracy organizations abroad. She regularly speaks at conferences, has appeared on television and radio programs and her writing has been published by publications such as National Post, Toronto Star & Ottawa Citizen. She can be contacted at sayehhassan30@gmail.com